SLUG GUTS just released their excellent new lp PLAYIN' IN TIME WITH THE DEADBEAT on SACRED BONES...... and it's a must spin record...... this release follows their awesome dark noisy four song 7 inch, Stranglin You Too, from earlier this year on HOZAC......and their very creepy brutal post apocalyptic lp from last year HOWLIN' GANG........ fans of feedtime, birthday party, the scientists, chrome cranks, cheater slicks, the cows and jesus lizard MUST TUNE IN TO THE DAMAGED ROCK N ROLL OF SLUG GUTS....... these australians have definitely put out one of the best albums of the year...... though not for the weak of heart, PLAYIN IN TIME WITH THE DEADBEAT is a very recommended face melting rock n roll experience....... dark trashy rock doesn't get any better than this....... listen to a few killer tracks from the new lp below.... (some of my fave songs from PLAYIN' TIME...) and go grab yr copy now from sacred bones.....
THE DOWNLINERS SECT were part of britian's early unruly garage rock scene, along side the yardbirds, the stones and the kinks.....and though they never "made" it big, their three lps and various singles from the latter half of the sixties are prized possessions for those of us that are fanatic about rock n roll.......
as time rolled on, they broke up, their catalog was reissued and they decided to reform in the late seventies......their records were oft cited as an influence on this new thing called PUNK.......
.....so instead of sitting around just being grandfathers to this bratty new scene, they got together in the studio and recorded one of the lost classics of the late 70s....
entitled fittingly as "PUNK ROCK" and rather than tarnish their name with this collection of rowdy songs, they recorded under the name F U 2....
PUNK ROCK is no stab at trying to incorporate the sounds of today by older guys that just don't understand..... as F U 2, they mashed power pop, glam, blues, garage and punk into one hell of a killer album.....one that's been bootlegged over the years by obsessive fans..... "sniffin glue" and "move around" and all the others are fucking classic songs.....many of which have been covertly covered by other bands over the years..........
the downliners sect didn't stick to the whole F U 2 joke for very long and again disappeared into the back pages of rock n roll history........ until the one and only billy childish grabbed them as his backing band for a couple of lps in the late 90s.........(as thee headcoats sect, which are highly recommended albums by the way)..........
however they once again disappeared......that is until now when 1-2-3-4 GO! records got ahold of the master tapes of the much fabled "punk rock" lp and decided that they needed to finally give it a much deserved reissue treatment........
fans like me can finally own a copy to throw down on my turntable........ originals are nearly impossible to find and if you happened to see one, you'd most likely pay over $200......so let me just thank 1-2-3-4 GO for finally making this happen.......
FU 2 is THE FAKE PUNK CLASSIC......
SO FUCKING RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!!!
FANS OF GARAGE, POWER POP, GLAM AND PUNK NEED TO OWN THIS LP NOW....
i'm sure billy childish, greg oblivian and all the other luminaries of the scene have a copy,
another stellar album from an australian band you need to know about now, why yes.... you gotta check out BITCH PREFECT and their new lp BIG TIME out now on BEDROOM SUCK RECORDS.......
a perfect jangle mess of indie rock, BITCH PREFECT writes some great post-PAVEMENT, CLEAN-influenced stripped down jams for you to spin your way through those hungover mornings, heartbroken afternoons and wanna-get-drunk-scrambling-for-beer money nights........ fans of WOOLLEN KITS, STRANGE BOYS, LIVING EYES, BEAT HAPPENING, VASELINES and CIRCLE PIT need to run to yr local record shop and pick up BIG TIME now.....
highly recommended.....THIS IS OUR BLUES MUSIC.....fuck these depressing economic times, grab this record and sing yr heart out...... BITCH PREFECT knows what it's like to be underemployed, over talented, angry, drunk and wanting more than what we're given........
i can't tell you how good this lo-fi pop gem of an album this is, so check it out for yerself.......
LIGHTNING BOLT is preparing to drop a fierce new slab of noise saturated vinyl this tuesday, entitled OBLIVION HUNTER via fucking loud as hell LOAD RECORDS....... and i couldn't be anymore excited......... it's been three years since they dropped the gnarly / epic EARTHLY DELIGHTS LP on us and it's been way tooooooo looonnnnggggg. nobody plays noise rock like LIGHTNING BOLT does, i mean nobody.......two piece, drum and bass fucking ear splitting mayhem........ anything with their name stamped on it is very very recommended........ and this new lp is definitely gonna get massive spin time on the tiny groove turntable.......... here's the low down from the noise mongers at LOAD RECORDS -
Since forming in 1994, Lightning Bolt has taken a zig zag path to recording, playing and touring. Following in this pattern is the release of Oblivion Hunter, a collection of the band’s epic recording sessions over the last few years. Oblivion Hunter is a real cool time – loose, hard and loopy. From the get-go the sound is amped-up and free with an ear on the railroad tracks to the big sounds of industry and clamor. Bass sounds jump out of the speaker cones that conjure up ears in alien propulsion systems, nights in faraway wind tunnels, and brutal beatings at Gitmo. Drums and assorted FX pop in and out with the resolve of a finger quivering over the A-bomb button drunk on power and convinced of your need. This record is one of the few necessary things in your grim stretch of existence, played by a band with 20 years of total conviction to the destruction of your ear drums.The net is cast decidedly further this time out with North Pole square dancing colliding with shock troop whiplash, executed with the spontaneous interplay of neutrino collision. It is time for you to binge and purge. You are now the Oblivion Hunter.
LISTEN TO KING CANDY FROM THE NEW LP HERE.... and go buy it next week, you definitely need this record.... WATCH LIGHTNING BOLT DESTROY THE EMPTY BOTTLE BELOW.... (thanks to @Sadlypanda)
You gotta love a band named after one of GG Allin's tattoos. Especially since Live Fast Die keep his irreverent spastic punk spirit alive. They play a furious kind of blown out punk that's a chaotic train wreck of Circle Jerks and Guitar Wolf. Live Fast Die have some of the most gnarly fuzz riffs you will hear all year, so if you need to destroy some speakers, Live Fast Die's new single is the way to go. This is the kind of jam Total Punk Records was formed to release, so let's hear what they gotta say - "Live Fast Die is back with a brand new single, and I couldn’t be any happier about it. When I started the label in 2010 releasing a Live Fast Die 7” was at the top of the Total Punk bucket list. Seems the years of death threats, prank calls, hate mail, and general harassment were worth it cause I finally convinced Camaro Werewolf to get the band back together and write one last single. Two more tracks of the sing-a-long no-fi garbage can Jabbers punk you have come to love Live Fast Die for." - Floridas Dying / Total Punk If you like you punk down and dirty, love the Spits and the Rip Offs and need two more riotous songs to jump start your day, Live Fast Die's new 45 is way super recommended. This is not your average boring mall punk. The mayhem this single induces may just get you drunk and/or arrested. And that's just the kind of wild fun we love... Pick up your copy now, before this dose of catastrophic punk is out of print!!! LISTEN TO THE A SIDE OFF THE NEW 7 INCH HERE..... watch LIVE FAST DIE on NOISEY....... and here's some more live chaos........
i've been a fan of JOHN SPENCER since his early noise mongering days in PUSSY GALORE.....after which he formed the excellent JOHN SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION... lately he's been gigging around in HEAVY TRASH, but lucky for us that need more of that high octane garage rockin' in yr face punk blues, he's reformed the BLUES EXPLOSION.......
they're not only touring, but also releasing a killer new lp, entitled MEAT AND BONES... this is john spencer back at the heart of what he does best, loud fucking raw rock n roll.......
i'm super excited about the new record, and you should be too... this isn't just another garage punk record from some young kids trying to emulate a dead sound, this is a record from the one and only JOHN SPENCER, a guy who's influenced us all and is the fucking godfather to of us all snotty rock n rollers everywhere......
.......so go buy the new lp now....... it just came out yesterday on BOOMBOX / MOM + POP RECORDS........ and it's super highly recommended.......
Listen to BAG OF BONES and BLACK MOLD from the MEAT AND BONES LP below......
Check out the Blues Explosion in a TOWN NEAR YOU........ 10-06 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts 10-13 Pawtucket, RI - German American Music Hall 10-16 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Lounge 10-18 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern 10-19 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick 10-20 Indianapolis, IN - Earth House 10-21 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge 10-22 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club 10-23 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall 10-24 Columbus, OH - The Basement 10-25 Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theater 11-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom 11-08 San Diego, CA - Casbah 11-09 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre 11-10 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall 11-12 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge 11-13 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile 11-14 Vancouver, British Columbia - Biltmore Cabaret AND WATCH THE BLUES EXPLOSION ON KEXP HERE......
In '91 it seemed that everyone bought Nirvana's "Nevermind" album, but that same year another landmark LP was released, "Peacetika" by the Cows. The trajectory of punk / post punk may have had it's pinnacle with the former's landslide into the mainstream. But those of us who bought that preciously noisy irreverent album by the Cows know that truly great chaotic music would always be frowned by those who just don't / can't understand. Years later it seems as if those who take noisy art rock seriously are few and far between, so it's refreshing to stumble upon release that lights your stylus on fire like the new 7 inchShake Your Brain by Chicago's Nones.
Out on none other than Hozac Records, our favorite purveyors of everything scuzzy and loud, this three song oeuvre by Nones is next step in the line of those AMREP and SKIN GRAFT bands that nobody seems to listen to or care about anymore. "Shake Your Brain" is vitriolic blast of Big Black / Shellac style angst that the world hasn't scene since Steve Albini stopped putting his own noises to tape. "Defecating Grey" could be a lost Jesus Lizard or Drive Like Jehu cover song albeit in a more Puffy Areolas psychedelic hardcore way. And the third song, "Aunt Peg" is a evil skronk of noise punk dirge that reminds me of the Slug Guts on a speed binge covering the Flying Luttenbachers. After one quick listen its apparent that Nones would've easily shared a stage with the likes of Arab on Radar, Harry Pussy or Lake of Dracula back in the heyday of the seedy 90s rock underbelly.
All three songs on this Hozac Records Hookup Klub release are all worthy to be the A side--no sleeper songs here. I can't wait for a full length from Nones. It's disappointing that a small number of bands carry on that destructive unhinged tendency of aggro post punk rock , but Nones, fronted by a wild man yelping curses upon the world while playing disturbed free jazz sax backed by the most ferocious gnarly female backing band that has ever existed, carry that banner high. Maybe if everyone bought that Cows lp way back then, Nones would be as successful as the Flaming Lips. But fuck those alternate universe theories, I'm just content to have three more songs to crank way the fuck up.
LIsten to "Defecating Grey" below, and grab a copy of this 7 inch if you dare.
one of my new favorite bands around chicago is most certainly THE BINGERS......they effortlessly swirl lo-fi garage rock, psych and bubblegum pop into one catchy and hazy mess of a fun time........ watch out all you san fran bands that think you're taking over the world, THE BINGERS are here to proclaim chicago as the beating drunken heart of the garage rock revival.......
what sets THE BINGERS apart from many of these young upstart bands is their sense of melody and songwriting.....many garage bands rely too heavy on the sound of those old garage records without trying to write new songs that are worthy of being pressed to vinyl.......
they just released their debut ep, LAND LOBSTER, and if it's any indication of things to come, you'll be hearing a lot more about the bingers in the near future.......
heavily recommended for those into MAGIC MILK, UH BONES, TY SEGALL, MOONHEARTS, BAD SPORTS and NATURAL CHILD.........
LISTEN TO THE LAND LOBSTER EP BELOW......
grab it digitally, on tape or as a lobster shape usb flash drive (or at least that's the rumor).......
AND WATCH THE BINGERS LIVE AT THE EMPTY BOTTLE BELOW.......
MAGIC JAKE AND THE POWER CRYSTALS is just the shot of rock n roll adrenaline you need to speed through the week......
lead by MAGIC JAKE, the bass player of KING TUFF's awesome band, and joined by BOBBY HARLOW of THE GO and CONSPIRACY OF OWLS with a few other rowdy detroit rock n roll cohorts, MAGIC JAKE AND THE POWER CRYSTAL is a wild ride through sloppy fun power pop, garage rock antics and motor city punk rock chaos.......
their self titled album came out as a small pressing of cassettes last year on BURGER and the few people with tape decks were blown away......but now this riotous bunch of spastic catchy songs is available on vinyl for the first time...... and it's waaaaaayyyyyyyyyy recommended! i was expecting much from this record when i threw it on the turntable, but holy shit every song is your new favorite jam....... go buy MAGIC JAKE's s/t from BURGER now before it's out of print and you regret not having it for that next night of all night partying.........
CAMERAare self described "krautrock guerrillas".....known for playing impromptu shows at in subway platforms, street corners and awards show after parties.......
and let me tell you their brand of minimal post krautrock psych is some of the most entrancing and epic rock n roll you'll hear all year long....
these german troublemakers just released their debut lp RADIATE via BUREAU B records and it's super highly recommended, especially if yr into any of the krautrock / prog classics.....CAN, NEU!, AMON DUUL II, KRAFTWERK.....and CAMERA has even played with some of the legends of the genre (Michael Rother of Neu / Harmonia and Dieter Mobius of Kluster / Harmonia)....if that's not a tacit seal of approval, i don't know what is......
fans of CAVE, BITCHIN BAJAS, DISAPPEARS, WOODEN SHJIPS, TORTOISE and KINSKI should be automatic CAMERA fans......but anyone who loves droning minimal rock psychedelic grooves will be sucked right in by the new lp RADIATE........ this is the sleeper hit of the year. so don't miss out on yer chance to grab a copy.......
listen to AUSLAND off CAMERA's new lp RADIATE below.....
AND LISTEN TO SNIPPETS FROM THE REST OF LP HERE.....
AND YEAH WATCH CAMERA LIVE WITH MOBIUS AND ROTHER BELOW.........
HOSEHEAD RECORDS is back with another killer single, this time from SAM COFFEY AND THE IRON LUNGS.....catchy shambling power pop with plenty of punk attitude and country heartbreak...... these three songs are perfect for that next mixtape you make for the pretty girl you're trying to win over.....(if people still make mixtapes???)....... these ontario kids are on the up and up (yes you gotta keep your eyes on the awesome canadian punk scene if you wanna keep the good tunes coming your way)....and if you need to liven up your turntable, you better grab a copy of ALL TO MYSELF now... only three hundred copies were pressed.... highly recommended for those who dig natural child, gentlemen jesse, king tuff, young governor and the reigning sound...... listen to the whole single below.....
UFO CLUBis the very adventurous side project of CHRISTIAN BLAND from THE BLACK ANGELS and LEE BLACKWELL from THE NIGHT BEATS.....as both of those bands get much respect from TINY GROOVES, you can imagine how excited i was to finally hear more that a few tracks from this superb collaboration of psych rocking minds....... and now thanks for the fine folks over at REVERBERATION APPRECIATION SOCIETY, all of us can take home UFO CLUB's Self Titled debut LP.........
the album is ten tracks chock full of pop melodies swimming in reverb, garage rocking guitar work, haunting organ and all sorts of analog psychedelic haze..... and add to that one of my fave ronettes covers of all time.......UFO CLUB could've just been an outlet to jam out some extra tunes, neither of the other bands wanted to rock, but this is perhaps one of the best psych albums of the year...... their name references of the famous 60s psych rock club of PINK FLOYD era LONDON, and they manage to sound just as classic....... i hope this isn't the only ufo club album we get......
super recommended..... (especially for fans of the night beats, purling hiss, black angels, birds of maya and the sufis.....)
Listen to the whole album below...... and grab a copy from REVERBERATION APPRECIATION SOCIETY now......
Records that don’t fit easily into one genre tend to grab my attention, especially if those records also heavily draw upon way out there psych, punk and avant noise all at the same time. Needless to say, the newest release by Moniker Records,Hot & Cold’s Border Area is right up my alley.
The band is comprised of two brothers from Canada by way of Beijing whose instrumentation belies their psych rock attitude: nothing but drums, bass, keyboards, samplers and a drum machine—nope no guitar. This is punk rock as Suicide played it, early 80s psych style. Their sound is comprised of a melodic blown out keyboard and catchy repetitive bass lines grooving over a warped percussive backdrop, and yes some vocals that seem to be recorded via damaged microphone. Droning at times and throbbing at others, the motorik rhythm of Border Area keeps you bobbing your head through both sides of the record.
The extendo sonic explorations put Hot & Cold in the same psychedelic camp as Cave, Oneida and Moon Duo, yet unlike those other groups, the absolute bare bones minimalism of their new record is what makes it so hauntingly good. On a song like “Sweet Fatigue”, the keyboard intertwines with the bass and nothing else. Then even the keyboard drops out, so there’s space for the vocals. “Model Farm” and many of the other tracks on the album continue on with the simple drive yet add the feedback dissonance of Chrome, the punk synth thrash of the Screamers and the angular post punk rhythms of Wire.
The hypnotic melancholy of “Sister Told Me” is perhaps one of the most anthemic songs on the LP, sprinkled with 60s organ rave ups and wry chanting vocals that spit with the best of the early punks on the relentless drum loop. “No Dreams Tonight” could be the perfect buzzing dark wave mash up of Can and A Certain Ratio. But most of Border Area and especially “Out of the Grey” reminds me of the prog/avant grind Amun Duul, Neu! and Klaus Schulze (minus the self indulgence) distilled into a more sweaty basement party vibe. Yes, when the kids get their hands on those weirdo records from the seventies and eighties, strange music is made, and Hot & Cold leave you with nothing short of a new twist on synth damaged nuevo krautrocked post punk.
You may not have heard of these guys, but now’s the time to introduce yourself to Hot & Cold.
Listen to the entirety of BORDER AREA below and pick up a copy from MONIKER now before its super limited pressing is gone for good........
there's always a super secret underground rock n roll scene thriving in chicago.... bars like the empty bottle, the burlington and the crown tap give us garage/punk rockers a place to call home, but lately most of the interesting new bands around town have been cutting their teeth in those dirty warehouse spaces and rock n roll houses.... keeping way off the grid..... and there's quite a few bands in that super secret dark drunk thrashy corner of chicago's rock n roll scene that ought to be much better known, 'cause some of these bands rock more than the bands coming out of those "hip" cities like san fran, los angeles and nyc.......
so let me introduce you to one of these much under appreciated bands......UH BONES.... with one s/t tape ep out and a new 7 inch on its way from RANDY records, these guys are starting to make a splash........ psych coated garage rock fuzz played raw and loud.......indebted to the best of the garage psych bands -- seeds, velvets, 13th floor elevators and count five -- UH BONES take things up a notch and bring plenty of punk attitude, garage thump and awesome guitar fireworks to the classic rock formula....... fans of the oh sees, ty segall, peoples temple, d watusi and cosmonauts take note.......UH BONES ought to be yr new favorite bands..........
LISTEN TO THEIR S/T EP BELOW........
and WATCH UH BONES PLAY THE EMPTY BOTTLE BELOW.......
COSMONAUTSare back with another killer slab of vinyl this time on austin's REVERBERATION APPRECIATION SOCIETY.... the new ep is entitled LAZERBEAMS and it's four tracks of absolutely fuzzed out psych garage bliss..... just as good, maybe even better than their previous efforts on BURGER and PERMANENT.......
you'll wanna grab this super limited hand screened 7 inch before it's gone....
LISTEN TO THE WHOLE EP BELOW if you need convincing, but anyone who's into TY SEGALL, THE OH SEES, THE NIGHT BEATS and BLACK ANGELS should definitely be into the COSMONAUTS...... and anything they put out is highly recommended........
